Disadvantage / Jonathan Wolff, Avner De-Shalit.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wolff, Jonathan.

Contributor:

De-Shalit, Avner.

Series:

Oxford political theory

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Marginality, Social.

People with social disabilities.

Equality.

Distributive justice.

Social policy.

Physical Description:

ix, 231 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2007.

Summary:

This books presents a refreshing new analysis of disadvantage, and puts forward proposals to help governments improve the lives of the least advantaged in their societies, thereby moving in the direction of equality. What does it mean to be disadvantaged? Is it possible to compare different disadvantages? What should governments do to move their societies in the direction of equality, where equality is to be understood both in distributional and social terms? Linking rigorous analytical philosophical theory with broad empirical studies, including interviews conducted for the purpose of this book, Wolff and de-Shalit show how taking theory and practice together is essential if the theory is to be rich enough to be applied to the real world, and policy systematic enough to have purpose and justification.

This book is in three parts. Part 1 presents a pluralist analysis of disadvantage, modifying the capability theory of Sen and Nussbaum to produce the 'genuine opportunity for secure functioning' view. This emphasises risk and insecurity as a central component of disadvantage. Part 2 shows how to identify the least advantaged in society even on a pluralist view. The authors suggest that disadvantage 'clusters' in the sense that some people are disadvantaged in several different respects. Thus identifying the least advantaged is not as problematic as it appears to be. Conversely, a society which has 'declustered disadvantaged'-in the sense that no group lacks secure functioning on a range of functionings-has made considerable progress in the direction of equality. Part 3 explores how to decluster disadvantage, by paying special attention to 'corrosive disadvantages'-those disadvantages which cause further disadvantages-and 'fertile functionings'-those which are likely to secure other functionings. The analysis of the book will interest political philosophers, social policy theorists, and practitioners involved in the design and delivery of actual social policy.

Contents:

The pluralism of disadvantage

Functionings

Risk

Opportunity and responsibility

The indexing problem

Measuring functionings

Clustering of disadvantage and empirical research

De-clustering disadvantage

Priority to the least advantaged

Addressing disadvantage while respecting people

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [192]-219) and index.

ISBN:

9780199278268

0199278261

OCLC:

76935639